1) Teach your child their address and phone number when they are old enough to do so (around 4 or 5).
2) Teach your child how to dial 9-1-1 as early as possible.
3) If your children are old enough to be left at home unattended, instruct them never to answer the door or let strangers into your home. When answering the telephone, tell your children not to indicate that they are in the house alone, but to state that their parents are busy and ask for the caller’s name and telephone number.
4) Instruct your children not to invite playmates into your home without your permission when there is no adult in the home.
5) Never leave your children with someone you don’t know, either in your own home or in another location.
6) Instruct your children to walk to and from school by the same route. Know the route yourself and discourage them from taking short cuts through alleys, fields and empty lots.
7) If your children are going door to door selling or collecting items, accompany them or insure that they travel in groups of two or three. Instruct them not to go into houses or get into a car.
8) If they are asked directions by a driver, tell them not to get into the car to show the driver the way. Instruct them to stand well back from the car, give the directions and then walk away quickly.
9) Do not leave young children unattended in your car.
10) Put your children in automobile restraining seats or seat belts. They are precious cargo and it’s the law.
Finally...
Always know where your children are, who they are with and when they are expected home. Make a point of knowing who their friends are, where their friends live and know their friend’s telephone numbers.
